Dry Loaf poem; Essay topic (deciphering poetry)..Too confusing

Poem- Dry Loaf

genius.com/Wallace-stevens-dry-loaf-annotated

Assignment: What do this text suggest to you about the role self-respect plays in an individual's response to injustice? Support your idea(s) and make a reference to the text.

My questions: I truly don't even get what the poem is saying, all I know is it involve with wars and soldiers, please help me decipher this poem and help me relate with the essay topic.

Greetings!

Deciphering poetry can be difficult! There are some clues, though, in the word choices the author made, that speak to the idea of self-respect (or lack of it) and injustice:

a tragic land - this says a lot about how the poem's narrator sees the country

regard the hovels of those that live in this land - notice they are "hovels" and not "homes"

Flying from burning countries - a suggestion here that the country has been savaged

It was hunger, it was the hungry that cried - more tragic description of the pitiful state of the people

Look through the poem carefully for more clues about injustice and self-esteem. I hope this helps get you started!

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayForum.com